bunny momma
Wise Old Thumper
In February 2011, my late Black Velvet was already a senior bunny when she had to go to the emergency vet. An X-ray revealed a large mass. As she was being returned to me, a few drops of blood appeared on the towel. A few hours later, she had emergency surgery. Because the mass was so large in relation to her size, the vet showed me what he removed and I took a photo to show my spouse (Black Velvet was his special bunny).
I attached a photo of the tumor compared to my average sized hand, and one of BV compared to my hand right the day after her surgery. (the fur loss on her ears was not related to skin issues or mites, yet it grew back after he surgery). She was already eating greens and feeling much better.
She recovered well, even though she was 9 years old at the time. At the age of 11 she had two more surgeries about 9 months apart to remove a cancerous growth between her hind leg and he abdomen. She was over 13 years old when she finally passed. She survived three surgeries as an elderly bunny, due to a competent surgeon and her organs functioning well.
I also enclosed a picture taken a few years before she had surgery
In 1996 and 1997 I lost three bunny sisters (Snuggles, TS-tough stuff who was originally tiny stuff, and Midnight) to uterine and mammary gland cancer. So, when my spouse got BV in Dec 2001, I should have had her spayed; yet I was so afraid of losing her I kept procrastinating. The more attached spouse and I became to BV, the harder it was to take her for surgery.
We were fortunate my BV had such a strong spirit. Prior to BV I did have another female, Teenie Weenie, spayed as part of an exploratory and that bunny did well after surgery too.
Both of my current females, Madelyn and Heidi, are spayed. It means there is one less worry when my current bunny girls are not acting like their usual selves.
Please know I am only sharing my experience. I still cannot believe BV had such a large mass inside her without my knowing until it was an emergency.
I understand that others base their decisions on their own experiences, values, and beliefs. Others may not have a competent rabbit surgeon, or their rabbit may not be able to survive multiple surgeries in their golden years, or some young bunnies may have health issues that would preclude surgery (my vet recommends that my Dash not be neutered due to Dash's health issues).
I attached a photo of the tumor compared to my average sized hand, and one of BV compared to my hand right the day after her surgery. (the fur loss on her ears was not related to skin issues or mites, yet it grew back after he surgery). She was already eating greens and feeling much better.
She recovered well, even though she was 9 years old at the time. At the age of 11 she had two more surgeries about 9 months apart to remove a cancerous growth between her hind leg and he abdomen. She was over 13 years old when she finally passed. She survived three surgeries as an elderly bunny, due to a competent surgeon and her organs functioning well.
I also enclosed a picture taken a few years before she had surgery
In 1996 and 1997 I lost three bunny sisters (Snuggles, TS-tough stuff who was originally tiny stuff, and Midnight) to uterine and mammary gland cancer. So, when my spouse got BV in Dec 2001, I should have had her spayed; yet I was so afraid of losing her I kept procrastinating. The more attached spouse and I became to BV, the harder it was to take her for surgery.
We were fortunate my BV had such a strong spirit. Prior to BV I did have another female, Teenie Weenie, spayed as part of an exploratory and that bunny did well after surgery too.
Both of my current females, Madelyn and Heidi, are spayed. It means there is one less worry when my current bunny girls are not acting like their usual selves.
Please know I am only sharing my experience. I still cannot believe BV had such a large mass inside her without my knowing until it was an emergency.
I understand that others base their decisions on their own experiences, values, and beliefs. Others may not have a competent rabbit surgeon, or their rabbit may not be able to survive multiple surgeries in their golden years, or some young bunnies may have health issues that would preclude surgery (my vet recommends that my Dash not be neutered due to Dash's health issues).
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